Imprisoned Chinese citizen journalist not well, lawyer says

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A lawyer says Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan who was sentenced to four years in jail after reporting on the original outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is in ill health. Peng Yonghe says Zhang’s mother sent a message on social media saying her daughter was hospitalized on July 31 and now weighs less than 40 kilograms (90 pounds) after staging a partial hunger strike. Her family was told to come to the prison earlier this month but was only allowed to speak to her by phone. A Shanghai court sentenced Zhang in December for the crime of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” a vaguely defined charge that is often used in political cases.